Last week I attended the MVP 2013 Summit at Microsoft headquarters. During this conference, MVPs from around the world attend sessions designed to inform us about the latest and greatest technology coming out of Redmond. The speakers for these sessions are leading members of the product teams that actually develop the languages and tools we use to build applications on top of the Microsoft platforms. I cannot write or talk about the content of the sessions because as an MVP I have signed a NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement) that prevents me from doing so.

The thing is, although the session content is interesting and informative, it is not the most important part of the week. It is also important for MVPs to give feedback to the product team members to help make Microsoft languages and tools better. I truly believe that one of the most important roles of being an MVP is to take feedback I receive from the community back to Microsoft. In this age of likes, tweets and forum comments it is easier than ever to give and receive feedback. In my opinion, however, this type of feedback can be tainted and lead to false results and miscommunication. It’s one thing to make an anonymous post online but it is entirely different to make that same comment and have to explain it in front of your peers. The MVP Summit is the one place to discuss these topics face to face with the people that live and breath these things on a day to day basis. This back and forth discussion is more useful and informative than any other means of communication I have ever used. I value the opportunity to give this kind of feedback.

Finally, talking about these same technologies with some of the other MVPs in attendance is also a real treat. Over the years I have become friends with many of the attendees and I look forward to seeing them every year. Being in the same location with some of the authorities in my field is humbling and motivating.